Although cellular telephones have become very popular, they often suffer from poor reception, which is caused by low signal strength. Low signal strength can be caused by interference from buildings, hills, and electronic devices, or it can occur when the cellular telephone is located on the edge of the transmission range. Poor reception is especially a problem when the user is moving, such as when driving, because the cellular telephone signal may be within range and unobstructed one moment, but shortly thereafter the user may move into a valley, behind a building, or simply move toward the end of the range of the signal.
In order to help the user with the problem of poor reception, many cellular phones display a signal-strength indicator on a user interface. This allows the user to monitor the indicator in order to determine when the signal strength is sufficient to make a call or send a message and also to determine when the signal strength is weakening and is about to be lost. Unfortunately, monitoring the signal-strength indicator is inconvenient, distracting, and cumbersome for the user, and may even be dangerous if the user is driving a moving vehicle. Further, if the user is moving, a good signal-strength indication at the time the user looks at the indicator does not guarantee that signal strength will be adequate a short time later when the user is making the call.
Without a better way to handle poor reception and low signal strength, using a cellular telephone will continue to be inconvenient and frustrating for the user.